§¨§¨§§§§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨
§§§§¨¨¨§§¨                                          §§¨§¨§§¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§§§§¨§§¨¨
¨¨§§¨§§§§§                                          §¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§§¨¨
§§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨                WINDS ESKER               §¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §§¨¨§¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨§§§¨§§§
§§¨§§¨¨§¨¨ THERE WAS  THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS §§§¨¨§§¨¨§
¨§§¨§¨§§¨§ I COULDN'T GO  TO. REGARDLESS  HOW  MUCH ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§§§¨§§¨ DISCUSSED  WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED OUT ¨§§§§§§§§¨
§§¨¨¨§§¨§§ ON MAPS,  I COULD NOT  THINK OF IT  WHEN §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§¨§§¨§ ALONE. I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST THE §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§§§¨§§¨ FORK, WHERE  A  RIGHT TURN  WOULD SURELY §¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§¨§§ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN,  SOMETHING §¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨               KEPT ME AWAY.              §¨¨¨§§§§§§
§§§§§§¨§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ WHEN I FINALLY  GOT  THERE,  AFTER  SOME §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     §§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨¨§§¨§§¨§ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE  WAS   SURREAL.  AN ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨§¨§§¨§§¨ ESKER, LIKE A  NEEDLE-THIN RIFT  OUT  IN §¨¨§¨¨§§§§
¨§§§¨§§¨§§ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN   METERS  HIGH  AND §¨§§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨§§¨¨ ADORNED  IN  BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND §§¨§§§¨¨§§
§¨§¨§§¨§¨¨               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨§§¨¨§¨§¨¨
§§§§¨§§§¨§                                          §¨§¨§§§§¨§
¨¨¨§§¨¨§§§ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨§ NOTICE THE  VIEW TO  EITHER SIDE.  THERE ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§§§§§§¨§§ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ¨¨§§¨§§§§¨
§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST OFF,  THEY ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨¨§¨§§§ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE,  AS THE LAKE SHOULD §§§¨§¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨ STRETCH FOR  A  HUNDRED  METERS MORE  ON ¨¨§§§¨§¨¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT NOW  I  FELT  I  COULD ¨§¨¨§§§¨¨§
§¨§§¨§§¨§§ ALMOST  REACH  OUT AND  TOUCH  THEM. AND §§¨§¨¨§¨§¨
§§¨§§¨§§¨¨ THEN, WHEN I  REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨§§§¨§§§§§
¨§§¨§§¨§¨¨           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           §¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨§§§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨§§¨ THEY WERE OF  THE  RIGHT LAKE.  BUT THIS §§§§§¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
§¨§§§§§§§¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE  A PAIR OF  LUNGS CARVED ¨¨¨§§¨¨§§¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS  THAN ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   ¨§§§§§§§¨¨
§§¨¨¨¨§§¨§      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨§§¨     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    §¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§§¨¨§§§¨§§ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS  BELONGING MANY MILES §¨¨¨¨§¨§§§
¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨                  AWAY.                   §¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
§§§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§§§§§ I  EXAMINED   THE  RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE §¨§§¨§§¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ABOVE.  WAS THIS  WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, §§¨§§¨§¨§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ¨§§¨§§§§¨§
§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§                REMEMBER.                 §¨§§¨¨¨§§§
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨ CARRYING  FORWARD, ON THE  VERY  TIP  OF ¨§§§¨§§¨¨§
¨§§¨¨§¨§¨§ THE  ESKER, I  FOUND  THE RUINS OF  SOME §¨¨§§¨§¨§§
§¨§¨§§§§§§    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    §¨§¨§§§§¨§
§§§§¨¨¨¨¨§  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§ THE  MOSS, AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨ INTO THE  SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST THE ¨¨§§¨§§§¨§
¨§¨§¨¨§§¨§              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§§¨§¨§§¨                                          §§§¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨§§§§¨§§ SITTING  THERE, I COULD SEE  ACROSS  THE ¨¨§§§§§¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨ NARROWED LAKE MY  ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨§§¨¨§¨§¨¨ SAT:  FROM THE STAIRWELL  OF  MY  HOUSE, §§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§§§§¨§ THROUGH THE  OLD  WOODS BEHIND THE  TILE ¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨
§§§§¨¨¨§§¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      §§¨§¨§§¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨ TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER IT, ¨§§§§¨§§¨¨
¨¨§§¨§§§§§ THROUGH  THE   FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE §¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND THEN  THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE §¨¨§¨§§§¨¨
§§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨                  FORK.                   §¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§                                          §§¨¨§¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§§ AND THEN  THE  STAIRS  UP ON  THE RIDGE. ¨§¨§§§¨§§§
§§¨§§¨¨§¨¨ THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS  PROBABLY IT. §§§¨¨§§¨¨§
¨§§¨§¨§§¨§ HIDDEN  IN A  GROVE, THERE  WERE  STAIRS ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§§§¨§§¨ MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I CURRENTLY  SAT ON, ¨§§§§§§§§¨
§§¨¨¨§§¨§§ OLD AND  WORN  DOWN,  THAT  LEAD  YOU UP §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§¨§§¨§ ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§§§¨§§¨ I INSTED  OPTED  TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS §¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§¨§§ FOOT,  I'M SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE §¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          §¨¨¨§§§§§§
§§§§§§¨§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨                                          §§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨¨§§¨§§¨§ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE   WERE  PEOPLE  IN ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨§¨§§¨§§¨ BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN SEE §¨¨§¨¨§§§§
¨§§§¨§§¨§§ ME?  IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY  TURN TO §¨§§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨§§¨¨         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          §§¨§§§¨¨§§
§¨§¨§§¨§¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨§¨¨
§§§§¨§§§¨§                                          §¨§¨§§§§¨§
¨¨¨§§¨¨§§§                                          §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§§§§§§¨§§                                          ¨¨§§¨§§§§¨